of God, the doctrines of grace, the administration of discipline, and the general oversight of the church. And we find that just as there was then a heaven-guided unanimity in their confession of all the leading doctrines the gospel, by all the Reformed churches, so was there also the same marvellous and supernatural concurrence in the belief that there is but one order of ministers in Christ's church, and that it of right belongs to Christ's people, and not to any despotic or Erastian hierarchy-to govern and direct her affairs in conformity to the order, polity, and laws laid down in Christ's written and infallible word.* Wherever, therefore, the civil power did not

*That_such was very strongly the opinion of the Reformed churches, will appear from the following quotation from the Smalcald Articles :-"Ubi est igitur vera Ecclesia, ibi necesse est esse jus eligendi et ordinandi Ministros; sicut in casu necessitatis absolvit etiam Laicus, et fit Minister ac Pastor, alterius: sicut narrat Augustinus historiam de duobus Chrstianis in navi, quorum alter baptizaverit Kaтηxovμevov et is baptizatus deinde absolverit alterum. Huc pertinent sententiæ Christi, quæ testantur, claves Ecclesiæ datas esse, non tantum certis personis. (Matt. 18: 20.) Ubicunque erunt duo vel tres congregati in nomine meo, etc.

"Postremo etiam hoc confirmat sententia Petri: (1 Peter 2: 9.) Vos estis regale Sacerdotium. Quæ verba ad veram Ecclesiam pertinent, quæ cum sola habeat Sacerdotium, certe habeat jus eligendi et ordinandi Ministros. Idque etiam communissima Ecclesiæ consuetudo testatur. Nam olim populus eligebat Pastores et Episcopos. Deinde accedebat Episcopus, seu ejus Ecclesiæ, seu vicinus, qui confirmabat, electum impositione manuum, nec aliud fuit ordinatio nisi talis comprobatio.' (Hase's Libri Sympolici. Leipsic, 1837, vol. 1, p. 253.)

See also many authorities given in the author's work on Presbytery and not Prelacy, ch. iii. § 3, p. 74. &c., where the subject is fully treated.

See also the Biblical Repertory for January, 1845, p. 54, etc., where it is fully shown that the grant of the keys by Christ was not to the ministry merely, but to the whole church.

"Our divines," says Mr. George Gillespie in his assertion of the government of the Church of Scotland, Part. I. ch. 4, "prove against papists that some of these, whom they call laics, ought to have a place in the assemblies of the church, by this argument among the rest; because otherwise the whole church could not be thereby represented. And it is plain enough, that the church cannot be represented, except the hearers of the word, which are the far greatest part of the church, be represented. By the ministers of the word they cannot be represented more than the burghs can be represented in parliament by the noblemen, or by the commissioners of shires; therefore by some of their own kind must they be represented, that is, by such as are hearers, and not preachers. Now some hearers cannot represent all the rest except they have a calling and commission thereto; and who can these be but ruling elders? And again, when the Council of Trent was first spoken of in the Diet at Wurtemberg, Anno 1522, all the estates of Germany desired of Pope Adrian VII. that admittance might be granted, as well to laymen as to clergymen, and that not only as witnesses and spectators but to be judges there. This they could not obtain, therefore they would not come to the council, and published a book, where they allege this for one cause of their not coming to Trent, because none had voice there but cardinals, bishops, abbots, generals, or superiors of orders, whereas laics also ought to have a decisive voice in councils. If none but the ministers of the word should sit and have a voice in a synod, then it could not be a church representative, because the most part of the church (who are the hearers and not the teachers of the word) are not represented in it. A common cause ought to be concluded by common voices. But that which is treated of in councils, is a common cause pertaining to many particular

interfere, as it did in England, to coerce and restrain the free action of God's disenthralled people, we find that they settled down into that form of polity which is still perpetuated in nonEpiscopal churches. Besides bishops or presbyters, who came to be called ministers and pastors, in order to distinguish them from those who had prostituted the scriptural title of bishop to the designation of the man-made order of prelates, and who had associated this name with every thing cruel, tyrannical and unholy, they universally agreed that it was in accordance with Scripture, to appoint in every congregation some representatives of the people, who should be associated with the ministers in all acts of religion and government; that is, in all those acts, and only those, in which the people had an inherent right to consult, vote, deliberate and act, in conformity with the original commission and charter of the church. And as Christ had instituted an order of men for the express purpose of teaching, administering the sacraments, and ordaining those whom the church should approve, to the same high and holy ministry, and had, therefore, excluded the people from any ordinary intrusion into those offices, they also who represented the people, and were clothed with the delegated rights possessed by the people, were necessarily limited to a co-operation with the bishops of the churches in thos things that pertained to order, government and discipline.†

Such assuredly were the views entertained by the Reformers. While they all agreed as to the expediency and propriety of such officers, there was great variety in the names by which ruling elders were called. In the Belgic confession they are termed "seniors," by which word they were distinguished in the enumeration of the fathers from the presbyters. In the ecclesiastical laws of the church of Geneva, they are called "inspectors," and "seniors," and "commissioners for the seniory" or consistory.*+

churches. Our divines, when they prove against papists, that the election of ministers, and the excommunication of obstinate sinners, ought to be done by the suffrages of the whole church, make use of this same argument; that which concerneth all, ought to be treated of and judged by all.” So argued one of Scotland's noblest sons, and a representative in the Westminster Assembly of Divines. And such, also, are the general views of the Presbyterian church. (See Jameson's Cyprianus Isotimus, pp. 554556 and 540-544.)

*See Counsellor Prynne's Antipathie of the English Lordly Prelacy, Both to Regal Monarchy and to Civil Unity, or an Hist. Collection of the Several execrable Treasons, Conspiracies, Rebellions, Seditions, Oppressions, &c., of our English, British, French and Irish Lordly Prelates, &c. London, 2 vols. 4to. 1641.

See Form of Government, ch. i, § 2.

Art. 31. See in Niemeyer's Collectio Conf. in Eccl. Ref. p. 382.

See this fully proved hereafter.

**Quoted by Sir S. Moreland, page 60, in Plea for Presbytery, page 347.

"The Waldenses," says Bucer, "besides ministers of the word and sacraments, have a certain college of men, excelling in prudence and gravity of spirit, whose office it is to correct and admonish offending brethren."* These are called "rulers, ancients and elders." The Syrian churches, which have existed from the earliest period, called them "representatives of the people." The Bohemian churches called them "seniores ecclesiæ" or "the assistants," as Comenius terms them.

In the Book of Common Order of the English church at Geneva, of which John Knox was minister, which was approved by Calvin, and received and used by the Reformed church of Scotland, and formerly prefixed to the psalms in metre, they are called "elders," the words being evidently a translation of the term "seniores," and not of the Greek term presbyters, and certainly not of that passage in the epistle to Timothy, from which they have now come to be generally denominated "ruling elders." In the first Book of Discipline of the Church of Scotland, drawn up by John Knox and others in 1560, the terms "elders" and "seniors" are both employed.§ In the order for the election of elders, found in Knox's manuscript history, and published in 1569, they are called "eldaris and helparis."** In the Second Book of Discipline of the Church of Scotland, agreed upon in 1578, ministers are called "pastors, Episcopi or bishops, or ministers,"+t-and it is shown to be their peculiar function to teach, to administer the sacraments, to bless the people, to pronounce all sentences of binding or loosing "after lawful proceeding be the eldership," for it adds, "he is a messenger and herauld betwixt God and the people, (including of course in this term, people, the elders themselves, who merely represent the people in all these affairs)." This declaration of the functions of a minister must certainly include "laying on of hands," since this must be regarded as belonging to "the power of the keyes grantid unto the Kirk."§§ and of which the minister is declared to be the messenger and herald. In this work elders

*†See Presbytery and Prelacy, p. 507, and Plea for Presbytery, p. 347, &c. *See Presbytery and Prelacy, p. 421.

See do. p. 520, and Plea, &c., p. 356.

See Dunlop's Confession of Faith, vol. 2, p. 408. 1 Tim. 5: 17, is never quoted in proof.

$ Do. do. pp. 577, 578, § 5, p. 580, § 8.

**Do. do. page 637.

††Dunlop's Confession of Faith, vol. 2, p. 770.

An old manuscript has, "It appeartains to the Minister be lawful preconcluding with the Eldership." Do. do. pp. 771, 772.

§§ Do. do.

are called "seniors or elders,"* "sic as we commonly call elders." "In this our division," it is added, "we call these elders whom the Apostles called presidents or governors," and the propriety of having a Church Session, or "particular eldership," this Book founds upon the fact that "this we gather of the practice of the primitive Kirk, where elders or colleges of seniors were constitute in cities and famous places." "It appertains to elders," according to this Book, among other things, "to assist the pastors in the examination of them that comes to Lord's table," but in no way is it implied that they should interfere with the peculiar function of the ministry, to wit, the public consummation of all such proceedings by imposition of hands, pronouncing of sentence, introduction into the church by public covenant, &c. For while it is undoubtedly true that such particular elderships are empowered by this Book to "excommunicate the obstinate," and "to take heed that the word of God be purely preached within their bounds, the sacraments rightly administered, and even "deposition" to be pronounced, &c., no one will pretend that the ruling elders were to preach, administer sacraments, or pronounce sentence of excommunication. And therefore, when the provincial assembly have the power given them by this book to examine and ordain ministers, it cannot be pretended that the final and public ministerial act of "imposition of hands" is to be performed by elders, merely because it appertains to them to assist the ministers in all the preparatory examinations and decisions necessary to such final ordination.

In the Directory "Concerning Church Government," drawn up by the Westminster Assembly, and adopted by the Church of Scotland, and still in force, as "The form of Presbyterial Church Government," used by it and published with the Confession of Faith-in this work, ruling elders are never so called, now is their office ever founded on the passage where these words occur (i. e. 1 Tim: 5, 17). They are usually entitled throughout this work, "other church governors."§ These "officers," it is said, "Reformed churches commonly called elders."** The early English Puritans held that "by God's ordinance every congregation should make choice of other officers as assistants unto the minister in the spiritual regiment of the congregation." Thus Cartwright in A. D.

*Dunlop's Confession of Faith, vol. 2, p. 774. "Sometimes," it is said the word in Scripture is taken largely, comprehending as well the pastors and doctors.

Do. page 776.

See do. do. pp. 779, 780.

$I use a copy printed in 1688. See pp. 422, 425.

**Page 426, Romans 12: 7, 8, and 1 Cor. 12: 28, are given as proof texts, but not 1 Tim. 5: 17, which is never once quoted in all the varied references to the subject, pp. 427, 429, 431, 434, &c.

tt See quoted by Dr. Ames in Plea for Presbytery, page 360.

1590 calls them "those that have charge of government only."§ And, not to enlarge, our own standards, while they adopt the common title of "ruling elders" yet fully and advisedly define and characterize these officers as being "properly the representatives of the people, chosen by them for the purpose of exercising government and discipline in conjunction with pastors or ministers. This office," it is added, "has been understood by a great part of the Protestant Reformed churches to be designated in the Holy Scriptures by the title of governments, and of those who rule well but do not labor in word and doctrine."

In the Genevan church, in the English church there, and in all the continental churches, the office was temporary, the incumbents being elected yearly or every second year. Such also was the doctrine laid down in the first Book of Discipline, and the practice it enjoins. By the second Book of Discipline the office was made permanent, but it was arranged that a sufficient number might be appointed to allow a certain quota to officiate alternately. In the French Protestant churches, the office was and is temporary. In the Reformed Dutch church, Elders are elected every two years. **

As to ordination, the earliest and fullest account is that given by the Confession of the Bohemian church, adopted in 1632. "They who are chosen by a plurality of votes after evening sermon is ended, are called forth by the visitor and the duties of their office are read to them. And they by word, and with the lifted hand, promise faithfulness and diligence. And that in the church also they may discharge the duty of watchmen, they are honored with a peculiar seat, that they may the more conveniently see the people."* It thus appears from this model, which doubtless embraced the views of the Reformed churches, that no imposition of hands was employed in the ordination of Elders. That such was the case in the Church of Geneva is certain. And that no such form has ever been introduced into the Presbyterian churches of Scotland and Ireland is also certain. Neither is any such form prescribed or implied in our own standards, or used by any other branch of the Presbyterian church, so far as is known to us.

The duties of Elders in the Church of Scotland, are thus laid down in Steuart's Collections, a work which was of standard authority in this country until the adoption of our own. form of government, and which constituted the basis on which that form was constructed. "The duties of the Elders which

§Confut. of the Remist's Transl. 1618, p. 573.

**Lorimer on the Eldership, p. 165.

*See page 51 as quoted in Plea for Presbytery, p. 356.

†See Compendium of the Laws of the Church of Scotland, vol. 1, pp. 223,